Supporting the state because of ignorance, denial, or lack of ethics

Albuquerque Libertarian Examiner: Supporting the state because of ignorance, denial, or lack of ethics

Believe it or not, I am very patient with those who support the state out of ignorance. They are just trying to deal with their own lives and just haven't the time to think about what they are really supporting. Most of them have only a fleeting awareness of the events of the world; their own lives are too demanding of their time and attention. That is perfectly understandable. I would love to see a world where it was safe to ignore politics completely. I know this isn't such a world yet.

I am somewhat less patient with those who know better, but are deep in denial. The truth is painful to these people and they really want to think the best of "their" government. They keep being shocked when government does what governments are born and bred to do. They keep thinking that "the right people", if elected, can turn things around. What do they think voters have been trying to do, without success, since 1776? Do they think the rest of the voters want to turn America into a giant slave-labor camp to serve the masters in Washington, District of Corruption?

The ones I have almost no patience with, and really have all but given up on, are those who see what is going on, and LIKE it. These are the people who claim there are still "good cops" out there in spite of clear evidence to the contrary*; claim that all the wars (and "wars") of the 20th century (and beyond) are justified; say really ignorant things about America being "a nation of laws"; generally support anything the government does as long as it does as long as it is done to someone else. These are the politically aware people who still support the state anyway. There just is no way to excuse that. Some of these people are the ones who will gladly hand you over to the state if they know you have violated a counterfeit "law". These are the ones who always ask "what did they do to deserve it?" when cops abuse or murder someone "in the line of duty". These are the people who get touchy if you make a completely justified comparison of the current American police state to famous 20th century police-states of the fascist or socialist variety, often by incorrectly invoking "Godwin's Law". This is the only way they think they can win, since the truth is not on their side. What more can you say to such people?
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*If there are still "good cops", why do they not deal with the "bad apples" like the rabid dogs they are? Do they not realize that these "bad apples" spoil the whole barrel and endanger all their lives? When Cory Maye was arrested, where were the "good cops" to point out that a thug is a thug is a thug, and if you kick in someone's door you deserve to be shot as you enter? When Oscar Grant was murdered by a cop, why didn't the other "good cops" in his presence immediately arrest or shoot his badged murderer? Where were the "good cops" when Kathryn Johnston or Sean Bell needed them? In case after case, these "few bad apples" commit mayhem and murder in the presence of other officers and survive to do it again. (And this doesn't even count the cases where the victim survives.) Why, IF there are "good cops", do these "bad apples" not get taken down by their "brother officers"? If it is because of "the system", how could a "good person" become a part of such a corrupt system?.

Freedom is a finely tuned instrument

Albuquerque Libertarian Examiner: Freedom is a finely tuned instrument

Freedom is like a finely-tuned watch. All the parts work together to make a functional unit. It is fundamentally indivisible, although at first glance it may seem to be made of unrelated bits and pieces, at least to the uninitiated observer.

The case is made of "property rights". Inside, the springs and gears are things like "self-ownership", freedom of travel, freedom of association, and self-defense. Remove even one gear, such as the right to destroy your own life by abusing substances, or the right to immigrate wherever you wish, and the watch may still run, but it is damaged, and will not hold up well. It may lose time. The slightest bump may cause the whole thing to stop dead. Try to substitute a plastic gear for a metal one, like substituting a "privilege" for a "right" and the integrity of the whole is compromised; it won't last long before it breaks.

That is why it is so vitally important to stand up for even the rights that you may despise. If you are concerned with gun rights, you shoot yourself in the foot if you don't stand up for the right of homosexuals to live as they see fit as long as they harm no one else. If you are involved in the right of free speech, you are giving up your voice if you do not speak up for the right of everyone to keep the money they have earned. All rights are intertwined and depend upon one another. I will not support attacks on any rights, since I know it is suicide to be so short-sighted.

Killing of Dr. Tiller; murder or not?

Albuquerque Libertarian Examiner: Killing of Dr. Tiller; murder or not?

In the case of the killing of Dr. George Tiller, the abortion doctor, the right-to-life folks have been falling all over themselves to condemn the killing. Why?

Either abortion is murder, in which case the killing of the murderer in defense of the helpless innocent future victims (which in this unique case, there is no doubt that there would be) is justified, or it is not murder, in which case the killing of an innocent person is not justified. You can't straddle the electric fence here.

Operation Rescue president Troy Newman said that they had worked for years through "peaceful, legal means" to bring Tiller to justice. What a load of adult male Bos taurus fecal matter. "Legal means" are a ridiculous tactic to waste time on if you are trying to stop a murderer. On the other hand, if you are not quite positive you are right, you might want to use the legal system to impose your sense of values on someone else. It requires fewer principles.

In the way of disclosure, I don't like abortion, but I don't think science has enough information to rationally state exactly when a person's life begins. Almost no one REALLY believes a fertilized egg is a person, but almost no one would deny that a full-term baby is. The reality of becoming a person lies somewhere in between. In the case of abortion, where there is doubt, I prefer to err on the side of the woman's rights. When there are no doubts left, I err on the side of the baby. The state is the LAST entity who should be telling people what is "moral" or not.

Are 'illegal immigrants' really your enemy?

Albuquerque Libertarian Examiner: Are 'illegal immigrants' really your enemy?

Leaving aside the obvious point of how corrupt and dangerous to liberty the LEOs (Liberty Eradication Operatives) of America have become, and pretending for a moment that they are a legitimate use of stolen money, I pose a question. What is more important; using enforcers to chase, catch, and deport "illegal immigrants", or using enforcers to chase, catch, and stop aggressive criminals regardless of their status? We know which is safer for the enforcers.
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m I alone in this, or are there others out there who don't care where the guy standing beside them at the grocery store was born, or what paperwork he filled out for the gang of government thugs, as long as he is not attacking or stealing from anyone?

In order to get jobs, many of these independent migrants use random Social Security numbers. That means they have part of their wages stolen without any hope of ever getting in on the loot later. They are helping support some of the same Americans who are complaining about their presence.

Personally, I believe it is wrong to accept any handouts from government. This includes Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, farm subsidies, food stamps, WIC, or whatever else there may be. These "programs" are all financed with stolen money. Money that was taken from the rightful owners by threat of force. Force that if resisted, will be enforced by murder-by-government at some point along the way.

Don't give me the line about paying into the system for all these years and just getting back what is owed to you. Your money was spent the moment it was confiscated. The money you would get is being stolen from new victims today. It isn't right to cooperate with your mugger today if he promises to cut you in for a percentage of the muggings he commits tomorrow, is it? This is why it is so important to stop the thieves as soon as possible. Allowing the theft to continue gives it an appearance of legitimacy that is undeserved.

Your money is best left in your hands. You wouldn't waste your money on $900 toilet seats, or on supporting people who produce nothing but new generations of welfare recipients, would you? Well, the state does. Happily. That is how you can tell it isn't their money in the first place. So... who is your real enemy?

Living in 'post-constitutional America'

Albuquerque Libertarian Examiner: Living in 'post-constitutional America'

For those freedom-lovers who still revere the Constitution, a new reality is on the horizon. The next Supreme Court jester... "justice", will be adamantly anti-constitution. In such a case, "Constitutionality" becomes even more irrelevant than it has been for the past several decades.

A lot of focus has been on Sotomayor's anti-gun bigotry. It won't matter. The Second Amendment was mortally wounded back in 1934 by the illegal "National Firearms Act". It has been slowly bleeding-out since that day. Gun owners and Constitutionalists could have saved the Second Amendment if decisive action had been taken as soon as "NFA" was proposed. Unfortunately, they caved. "No one really thinks regular people should have MACHINE GUNS, do they?" Yes, I do. Giving in on that issue changed the way government thought about guns from that day forward. We are still living with the dire consequences of that treasonous "law", and it will only get worse until we stop agreeing to our own enslavement.

We are living in "Post-Constitutional America". It is time to recognize that rights do not come from government, and are not ever really protected by any government. It is time to grow up and exercise and DEFEND your own rights instead of depending upon a criminal collective to do your job for you. It has always been your responsibility; handing it over to government was a near-fatal mistake which is now coming home to roost. This should be your wake-up call. What will you do next?

Reasons for libertarian writing

Albuquerque Libertarian Examiner: Reasons for libertarian writing

I have been writing this column, and my blog before it, for quite a while now. So, why are we not living in "Libertopia" already? Hasn't my writing caused everyone to see the superiority of liberty over slavery (by whatever name)? Are my words too ineloquent and not up to the task of sharing the joy to be found in living by the ZAP and freeing oneself right here in this world where we all live, at this time in history, regardless of the actions of the state and its supporters? I'm joking, of course.

Fortunately, I don't write this column in order to change the world, or really even to change one mind. I don't write this column in order to convince anyone of anything. If it happens it is a good thing, but if it doesn't I don't consider this project a failure. What I am trying to do is show how I think through these issues in my own mind. Have I accomplished that in a small way, even if you don't agree with me?

I hope my experiences will demonstrate that it is possible to solve problems without sacrificing liberty by turning to the state. Your own decisions are your choice. If you choose to call me "an idiot" for expressing my opinions, be prepared to give me reasons why, rather than doing a cowardly hit and run (like the earliest comment on yesterday's column, at 11:54 AM). I welcome debate.

I wouldn't write this column if I didn't enjoy doing so. I am not going to change the world or bring about "Libertopia" through these columns. I give up a bit of my own freedom, willingly, in order to write this. My hope is that my writings at least entertain you, and maybe even make you think.

The libertarian solution is always best

Albuquerque Libertarian Examiner: The libertarian solution is always best

Not every problem has a solution, but those that can be solved are best solved by respecting liberty. The libertarian solution is always the best solution possible.

For example:

Immigration: Remove any and all barriers to people moving freely. End ALL welfare of every type for everyone. Replace it with voluntary charity. If you don't want your money to help certain people, don't donate. Remove all "anti-discrimination laws". Let people freely associate, or not, with anyone for any reason. Some people will be jerks, but everyone has someone they would rather not deal with, even if it isn't based upon race. I would rather not do business with anyone who works for government in any capacity. Some people would probably rather not deal with peaceful anarchists like me. It is wrong to force people to give up their freedom of association.

Crime: Remove all "laws" that punish self-defense. Void any "laws" that regulate owning and carrying of weaponry. I don't ever carry "weapons"; I carry tools. They only become weapons if I am attacked, which I have never been. Remove "laws" that encourage aggression, such as drug prohibition. Let the private security forces (which will replace the corrupt and abusive "police") deal with real aggression and theft, rather than wasting time on consensual behavior that the majority disapproves of. Treat "terrorism" as you would treat any act of aggression. The solution is the same.

Economy: An economy can never really be centrally planned. Money can not just be printed out of thin air if it is to hold its value. Let the market self-organize from the bottom up, rather than trying to impose and control it from the top down. Let people choose the currency they trust and want to use. If they want printed IOUs, that is their choice. If they prefer using real money like silver or gold, that should also be their choice.

Environment: No one will, or even can, take care of property they have no stake in as well as they will take care of their own property. Trusting the world's worst despoiler of the natural world, the government, to tell everyone else how to best care for the environment is ridiculous. Let people use their own property however they see fit. Some will destroy what they own. That is the very foundation of ownership. On the whole, people will learn that if they destroy the value of their property, their poor decision will haunt them in loss of value. If they don't care, that is their right. If someone's carelessness harms the property of a neighbor, then restitution will be paid or reputations will be destroyed. In a free world, that will probably be a particularly dire consequence.

There are more examples, of course. And these are not the only possible solutions to be worked out in a free society. Give liberty a chance. Statist control has failed every time it has been tried. Let's stop looking to a failure for our solutions.

We are all terrorists now

Albuquerque Libertarian Examiner: We are all terrorists now

You have a vastly greater chance of being kidnapped or murdered by the government than by "terrorists". So why is terrorism such a big deal to the government? I suspect it is so that you won't notice the truth or be able to assess the real enemy.

Unless you are a starry-eyed supporter of everything the government does, from all its wars of aggression across the globe, to its confiscatory "taxation", and its nanny-state meddling in your own home, you are a "domestic terrorist suspect" whether you realize it or not. This issue didn't start with the pinheads who recently produced the document in Missouri calling "right wing extremists" potential terrorists. It has been going on for years and years, through many administrations of either side of the monolithic political party.

I didn't start out intending to be a "Domestic Terrorist" suspect. I am not "right wing", even if "leftists" call me that when they are wrong on an issue. Neither am I "liberal" even though those on "the right" accuse me of being so when they are wrong on an issue. Being a libertarian, and more precisely, an anarchist, gives me a unique perspective and a chance to be demonized by statists of all types.

Those flag-waving "conservatives" who have never seen a war they didn't enthusiastically cheer, but say the government needs to "secure the borders", and those "progressives" who think every new gun "law" is just wonderful, but who protest those same wars the "conservatives" love, are all on the list now.

I have a relative who, a few years ago, broke his word and caused me a lot of trouble. His reasons kept changing from day to day, but one that he seemed to settle on was that he didn't like that I accept the label of "domestic terrorist". In order to cover for his dishonesty, he told everyone I was not "patriotic" and he wanted nothing to do with me, costing me a lot of money and causing a lot of trouble for me in the process. Yet this "man" would undoubtedly be a "domestic terrorist" to his precious government as well, due to his religious views and his "patriotism". He just doesn't know it yet. Or maybe by now he does.

Don't fret over the label. When government gets bad enough, as the US government has done, everyone who isn't just as bad as they are becomes a "terrorist" and an enemy. It is no reflection on you; it only reflects on the government. After all, if someone claims that "everyone hates me and is out to get me" there is usually a reason, and it usually has nothing to do with "everyone else". Just look at tyrannical regimes of the past and those whom they labeled as terrorists or extremists. It is usually an honorable group with which to be associated. Much more honorable than supporting or working for the state in ANY capacity.

Stop 'protecting' me from freedom

Albuquerque Libertarian Examiner: Stop 'protecting' me from freedom

I prefer wearing a seat belt when I am in a car, but if I didn't want to the state should leave me alone to make my own choices. It is my life. If I refuse to wear a seatbelt and I am horribly injured in an accident, I will not expect my neighbors to pay my medical bills. For that matter, I will not expect that even if I am injured while wearing a seatbelt. NO welfare! That is just common sense.

If I want to go to the store and buy Pseudoephedrine, let me. Don't force the poor clerks to become your proxy-thugs and card me like a criminal. If I use it to manufacture a substance the state doesn't approve of, so what? If I use this unapproved chemical and fry my own brain, don't support me or pay for my care. If I choose to sell it and others choose to buy it, of their own free will, and they fry their brains, same deal. That is the essence of a free market and a free society - you know, like America was supposed to be. Free choice. If, however, I force people to use my product I would be just as guilty of coercion as when the state does the same thing. And I would be subject to restitution and liability for any harm my product causes that is due to false advertising or poor quality control. For that matter, if I am suffering and need to send my 6 year-old daughter down to the corner store for a bottle of heroin, just like people used to be free to do, only a psychotic bully would prevent that voluntary transaction. The War on (some) Drugs is tearing society apart. Enough!

If I want to carry a full-auto AK-47 down the street, as long as I am not aiming at people it is no one's business. Until force is initiated or credibly threatened there is no harm done. People are only afraid of such sights because they have been trained, by self-serving parasites in government, to be afraid. Sure, it would offend anti-freedom advocates. Too bad. There is no right to not be offended. There is a basic human right to use tools of self defense. Only a power-hungry madman or his enablers would try to deny that right. "...Shall not be infringed." Got it?

I am no threat to people who are not attacking me. And neither are 99% of the people you will cross paths with. It is disgusting to let the twisted 1% be the rudder of society. Whether elected, appointed, badged, or free-lance; stop giving the thugs the control they crave. Stop protecting me from myself. I don't need your "help" and neither does anyone else.

Is the ZAP a principle?

Albuquerque Libertarian Examiner: Is the ZAP a principle?

A dear online friend and I have discovered a difference of opinion. She thinks The Zero Aggression Principle is a "value judgment" rather than a "principle", and doesn't think too highly of it in any case.

To bolster her point, she uses Black’s Law Dictionary's definition (copied from her blog): “Principle, A fundamental Truth or Doctrine as of Law. A comprehensive or doctrine which furnishes a basis for legal determination. A Truth or proposition so clear that it cannot be proved or contradicted, unless by a proposition which is still clearer.” Personally, not being a lawyer, I would say the ZAP still qualifies.

I used Dictionary.com to look up "principle" and found this: "an accepted or professed rule of action or conduct". I think the ZAP qualifies. I accept and profess the ZAP as a rule for my action and conduct. It even fits with the other definitions as well: "a fundamental, primary, or general law or truth from which others are derived". I derive a great deal of truth from the ZAP. Such is the difference in a "legal definition" and a regular definition, I suppose.

So moving onto other questions, she says a principle can not vary, while a value judgment varies from person to person. I honestly can't think of a single example of a "principle" that every person on this planet accepts. And I have tried. The only thing I can see concerning "consistency" is that for me personally, the principle that it is not right to initiate force never varies. No matter whether I think it is in my interest at this moment to do so or not. If I go ahead and initiate force I will consider myself in the wrong and will accept my consequences. Someday there may be a situation extreme enough that I will make this choice, but it would still be wrong of me to do.

In fact, I would be so bold as to think that this principle may very well apply equally well in extraterrestrial societies. Would other planets have moralities so different that things that are wrong here would be right there? Probably. Different biologies would call for different moral realities. I can imagine a great many different moral codes, some that would be repellent to just about any human. But try as I might, I can't imagine any society that would think initiating force - attacking others of their own kind - is right. Any society where this is a widespread idea wouldn't survive (not that this proves anything other than the usefulness of the ZAP, of course).

Even among humans we normally see this as wrong for everyone - except for governments in the opinion of statists. This "exception" is a small enough proportion of the actual population that it hasn't doomed us to extinction. Yet. It has just retarded our civilization a great deal; keeping us centuries, or possibly even millennia, behind where we would otherwise be without this millstone slowing the progress of human civilization.

'National security' is a euphemism

Albuquerque Libertarian Examiner: 'National security' is a euphemism

Those who are overly concerned with security are cowards. Those who obsess over national security, to the detriment of individual liberty, are cowards who are also committing evil.

That is because "national security" is a euphemism for the subjugation of real liberty for the protection of the agents and employees of the state. It is not about making you or me safer in any way. Quite the opposite. The actions that would make us safer are frequently prohibited by "national security" concerns. The state is the natural predator of liberty. It is the devourer of the innocent. To those who care at all about liberty, individuals always matter more than a "nation", since without individuals a nation is nothing.

The only realistic and reasonable approach to universal individual security is a universally armed populace. Anything less is only concerned with protecting the parasitic class- those who produce nothing but "laws" and regulations. This parasitic class is called "the government". "National security" is the polar opposite of real security. It makes no one safer, but instead endangers us all.

Pollution and statism are destructive siblings

Albuquerque Libertarian Examiner: Pollution and statism are destructive siblings

There are two actions which I think demonstrate a lack of responsibility more clearly than any others: "soiling your own nest" (littering or polluting) and promoting statism.

In the case of littering or otherwise polluting, you obviously have a right to do anything to your own property that you wish. As long as your filth stays on your own property. If it blows onto another person's property, or in the case of chemicals, gets into the air or groundwater, then you have harmed the other individuals. You have an obligation to make it right.

To carelessly allow your waste to trespass, and do nothing about it, is a sign of a terrible lack of responsibility on your part.

In the same way, statism is allowing your own lack of responsibility to trespass into the lives of other people. Statists leave a wasteland of "laws" and regulations wherever they roam. Instead of taking responsibility for their own lives, and cleaning up their own messes, statists would prefer to make "one-size-fits-all" rules that everyone would be forced to live under, unless the guilty party can bribe the state, of course. It is as if they believe that since they have no self-responsibility, no one else possibly could either.

The two sometimes cross paths. Statists who falsely call themselves "environmentalists" use the state in order to force people to clean up their own mess, yet conveniently overlook the fact that the state is the worst despoiler of the natural world there has ever been. Nothing is less qualified to pass judgment on "pollution" than is government.

Accept your responsibilities to clean up your own messes, whether they be environmental or moral. Don't pollute and don't support the state.

Statism is a successful disease

Albuquerque Libertarian Examiner: Statism is a successful disease

The reason statism has been so much more successful than anarchism (so far) is that statists think it is OK to to kill those who disagree with them. From an evolutionary standpoint, that's a hard strategy to beat, especially in the short-term. Does that make them right? Of course not. I'm a Browncoat: I'd rather be on the losing side than be on the wrong side. But that's just me.

This statist tendency also means that statists happily kill other statists who disagree with them. That's what almost every war in history has been about. Is there a way to use this deplorable but logical lack of morality against them? Maybe.

Anarchists can wait it out. Stay off the radar and let the statists kill one another until the balance is tipped. It won't be easy and some of us will undoubtedly get killed in the crossfire. Those of you smart enough to not make noise about liberty will have an easier time remaining unnoticed than will the loudmouths. While the statists are busy battling among themselves in Iraq, Pakistan, Elbonia, or wherever, start quietly laying the foundations for a real society without them. Encourage secession wherever it is discussed, and for whatever reason. A fragmented monolith is easier to dispose of. Build a freer world and just say "No" to the state. Replace the current failed state with "nothing" when the inevitable occurs.

For more on secession: Stewart Browne at Strike the Root: A New Strategy For Liberty - Part 1: An Open Letter To Ron Paul Supporters and A New Strategy For Liberty - Part 2: Secession in Three Easy Steps

Evil is an action, not a person

Albuquerque Libertarian Examiner: Evil is an action, not a person

Does "evil" exist? I think so. Are statists evil? No. But their actions often are. To me, "evil" is "actions which harm the innocent (those who do not deserve to be harmed at this moment)". Notice I consider actions to be evil; not people. People can commit evil, but can't BE evil. Unless, perhaps, they honestly do nothing that ameliorates the harm they cause to the innocent they cross paths with. Most of these people have worked for the state during their greatest harm.

This is why I don't consider Bush or Obama to be evil. (But, Dick Cheney and Nancy Pelosi......well...) Bush committed a LOT of evil during his reign, and Obama is trying really hard to out-do Bush's legacy of evil, and will most likely succeed. Each president seems to do a little more evil than the previous president, since the harm is cumulative. Each president builds on the atrocities of his predecessor.

But, getting back to real people: I have never met anyone in real life that I truly considered to be "evil", although some people I have known were pushing the margins. I have also never know any real people who didn't at some point do something that harmed innocent people. Myself included. Such is the trap of thinking of people in terms of good and evil. Judge the actions instead.

A person can have the worst notions or philosophy possible, but if they do not act on it and thereby harm the innocent, they have committed no evil. Most statists who commit evil prefer to send others to do their deeds for them, which also makes them cowards. It means they have violated the ZAP ("No human being has the right, under ANY circumstances, to initiate force against another human being, nor to advocate or delegate its initiation." You can wish for a collectivist society that allows no "opting out", but as long as you don't act on it, or somehow cause it to become real, no one has been harmed and no evil has been committed.

It is my intention to do no more evil.


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"Opposing Views" website

There is a new (I suppose it is new) website called "Opposing Views" that I have added to my list of links. It is not a "libertarian" or anarchist site, but in doing a little surfing I have found it very interesting. You do have to join before commenting, but they provide a nice opportunity for quality commentary (each comment must be approved before it is posted) rather than an onslaught of rude name-calling. That is something I find sort of refreshing. It is also something libertarians are best at.

Anyway, I would like to see a lot more liberty-embracing comments on their site. Join me?

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The government's military is bad for freedom

I feel bad for the people in the government military. This sentiment gets me in trouble with people who think my pity is misplaced or phony. It isn't.

I know some of those in the government's military really think they are doing good. Instead, they are being used as pawns by a government that only cares about them as long as it needs them. They are brainwashed into thinking they are "fighting for our freedom" when they are demonstrably not. Their presence and actions around the world are causing America to be much less safe: they are creating new generations of people who will hate America and be willing to die in order to strike back however they can.

If the people in these other countries would blame the US government, which is the real aggressor, it would be fine, but it is easier to blame American individuals instead (many Americans make the same error). The government officials usually have heavy protection wherever they go, unlike the average American at home or overseas, so guess who is the easier target. Remember that it isn't "terrorism" if it targets a government facility or employee, regardless of the self-serving claims of the statists.

Too many ex-military folk are now going into "law-enforcement" when they get discharged; using their military training and "us vs. them" attitude against Americans in their own towns. Once you work for the state, and advance its agenda with force elsewhere, you have an easier time doing the same against people at home whom the state tells you are also "your enemy". Frequently these "enemies" the state sends them to kill have done nothing against anyone else, but are only asserting their rights to ingest anything they wish, to engage in free trade, or to own and to carry any type of weapon they see fit everywhere they go, in any manner they see fit, without asking permission from anyone. In other words, the exact thing these ex-military folks claimed to be fighting for: freedom.

I expect that if any military supporters read this, they will tear me apart for being "anti-military". I am not "anti-military" since I fully support the militia; I just don't confuse the legitimate military with pawns of the state. Do you?

What makes a country 'bad'?

Albuquerque Libertarian Examiner: What makes a country 'bad'?

A country is "good" only to the extent that its government leaves you alone. This applies to countries on the other side of the globe as well as any country that claims your home.

People everywhere are about the same. Some good; some bad. The "bad countries" in the world are not bad because of the average person who lives there. The average person in any country is simply trying to live and find a little happiness wherever he can. Just like you and me.

Bad countries just have governments that are more meddlesome than average. The really bad countries' governments are not only meddlesome, but are directly responsible for intentional harm on innocent people; usually beginning with those who live under their rule. Actions that harm the innocent -those who do not deserve to be harmed right at this moment- are "evil".

Then these bad governments expand their evil wherever they can. The justifications may vary; the results never do. Often their targets confuse the actions of this rogue government with the intent of the people who live under it. That is a terrible error. Do you want to be judged by the actions of the US government? Me neither.

Time's Up patch

Over at Days of Our Trailers, Thirdpower has produced some "Time's Up" patches. He sent me some a while back and they are very nice!

He also has a variety of other patches with the "Unorganized Militia Propaganda Corps" theme.

He is promoting them today at the Blogger Bash. Let him know if you want some.

The Constitution is long-dead

(I've since evolved even further away from Constitutionalism since this was written.)

I frequently hear otherwise freedom-loving people saying I should respect the US Constitution. Why give it respect it does not deserve? I never agreed to it; I did not sign it; and since I am not employed by the federal government, it was never even meant to apply to me anyway.

I would argue that the Constitution is irrelevant. I agree with Lysander Spooner: "The Constitution has either authorized such a government as we have had, or has been powerless to prevent it". (No Treason- 1870)

The Constitution and the Bill of Rights were this country's highest written law: they outranked all others. Yet, they placed no obligation on you and me, but only on those who would rule. Even the irredeemably corrupt Supreme Court has declared that no one is under any obligation to obey any "law" which is prohibited by these documents. Of course, they will almost never say that a "law" is unconstitutional; especially when it would bring down a whole sector of the government and leave their tyrant-brethren open to consequences. This is why they uphold most victim disarmament "laws" in spite of the clear meaning of "shall not be infringed". And even when they overrule a particular "law" they make sure their ruling can make no real difference for liberty.

The Constitution's only utility at this point is as a yard-stick to show how completely illegal and illegitimate the US fe(de)ral government has become; an occupying force of criminals. This is why those who still bother to write the congresscritters (and other public serpents) must constantly remind these Rulers that they do not even obey their own laws. Government can not be allowed to continue ignoring the laws that apply to them, while insisting that we, "the people", abide by the "laws" they inflict on us.

Government must be reminded and shown that since it operates outside its authority and did not honor the Constitution, then it is no longer upholding its end of the bargain. It was a contract which one party, the government, has seen fit to break. That means "the deal" is over- done- finished. Remind them when they confront you. Or better yet, ignore them and get on with your life. Don't support the tyrants, nor fear them. Obey them only at your whim. And fight back if they attack you. A life of slavery is no life, after all. Patrick Henry was half right: "Give me liberty..." or I'll take a few tyrants with me.

Changing course isn't 'giving in' when you are wrong

Albuquerque Libertarian Examiner: Changing course isn't 'giving in' when you are wrong

Sometimes when the entirely reasonable, logical, ethical, and moral idea of ending the "drug war" is suggested, some people exclaim that to end it would be "giving in". Really?

When traveling, if you discover you have missed your exit, or realize you are driving south when you need to be driving north, do you refuse to turn around so you won't be seen as "giving in"? How far will you continue to travel in the wrong direction? Would you continue "on course" until it killed you or destroyed your family? Well, why would you support a thuggish driver who insists on dragging you along for his death ride?

The drug war is only one example. "Cracking down" on "illegal" immigration and stronger "border control" is another. As is the "War on Terror" and the other problems caused by meddling around the world. Here in America, "gun control" is a serious problem that causes untold harm and mayhem. It is time to admit that government is heading the wrong direction, and force the Rulers to turn around.

Authoritarian "answers" are not the correct solution to any problem, and in most cases only create new problems while exacerbating the original condition.

When you are wrong, changing course isn't "giving in", it is "getting it right".


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